标签：religion

The Structure of a Pirate Ship

Life & Notes2009.01.15
The Structure of a Pirate Ship
Noolat has a famous metaphor, roughly to the effect that science is like a ship sailing on the boundless sea: if something goes wrong, people can only repair it with whatever is on hand, or with things that can be salvaged from the sea. You might say it would be better to dismantle the ship and rebuild it from scratch, but the problem is that in this boundless sea the ship is our foothold; we can only keep sailing while repairing it. This metaphor is a good one; however, what those philosophers of science have not sufficiently noticed is that science is not an isolated, freely drifting thing in human…
technology scholarship philosophy of science autobiography
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2009年1月15日
A Few Words on “Olympic” — “Olympic Game”

Culture & Public Commentary2008.08.08
A Few Words on “Olympic” — “Olympic Game”
I had long said I would write some articles about the Olympics, but the reason I kept putting it off was mainly that I had read far too little, whether primary or secondary sources, on ancient Greece, so I would certainly be speaking without much confidence. Recently, in a last-minute dash, I read a few introductory books; of course that does not really solve anything, but in order to get something written before the opening of the Olympics, I could only make do. Though I lack confidence, I have always had ancient Greece and the “Olympic spirit” on my mind, and I have a large heap of related thoughts. Because…
culture freedom tradition religion
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2008年8月8日
This Issue’s Music: Civilization IV Theme Song “Baba Yetu”

Life & Notes2008.06.01
This Issue’s Music: Civilization IV Theme Song “Baba Yetu”
Let’s have a little game for Children’s Day~ Although I already picked a track from Civilization for a previous music post, I’ll choose one again. I originally wanted to choose the theme song of the latest expansion, Beyond the Sword, but I couldn’t find a link online, so I had to dig out the famous “Papa Boar” song instead~ Civilization IV is already close to perfect; the Warlords expansion, while adding some bricks and mortar, doesn’t change all that much, but Beyond the Sword has added some genuinely new elements. As its name suggests, Beyond the Sword focuses on elements beyond warfare, though this has long been a tradition of…
everyday life faith religion game
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2008年6月1日
[Repost] Catholic and Orthodox Churches May Be Reunited; the Pope as “First Bishop”

Life & Notes2007.11.17
[Repost] Catholic and Orthodox Churches May Be Reunited; the Pope as “First Bishop”
http://news.qq.com/a/20071117/000772.htm CNS, November 17 — The Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, which have been split for more than 950 years, have taken a very important step toward reunification. The two sides have recently drafted a joint document and, for the first time, agreed to call the pope the “first bishop,” with a status above that of the Orthodox patriarchs. Yet after the two churches eventually reunify, the pope’s supreme power will inevitably be weakened; on the contrary, the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Orthodox Church may use this to strengthen his influence over Muslim countries, becoming, in effect, the “pope” of the entire Orthodox world. According to Hong Kong Wen…
everyday life faith religion politics
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2007年11月17日
Bits and Pieces, Episode Two

Philosophy & Thought2007.09.23
Bits and Pieces, Episode Two
l To say that human nature is inherently good or that human nature is inherently evil both seem to make sense; why not simply say that human nature is both good and evil, or neither good nor evil? In the end, when we want to describe a villain, we still like to say he is “lacking humanity.” In fact, when one says that human nature is inherently good, one is also stressing another side of the matter: goodness is itself human nature. That is to say, goodness comes from oneself; seeking goodness requires only self-help and self-discipline, without looking outward for it. This is similar to Kant’s intention in emphasizing…
philosophy religion human nature
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2007年9月23日
What Is the Olympics?

Culture & Public Commentary2007.08.08
What Is the Olympics?
My many acquaintances in the world of science and culture are rather indifferent to the Olympic Games. They point out many problems, such as excessive commercialization, and the fact that high-intensity athletic training is often a brutal assault on athletes’ bodies rather than a form of exercise. Rather than pouring massive resources into the vanity of chasing Olympic gold medals, it would be better to invest more in building up basic sports, in promoting public exercise, and in work that fosters health. Here, I disagree with those teachers. I think this line of thought is, in fact, pragmatic and utilitarian. On the one hand, I certainly acknowledge that the spread…
Aristotle religion Plato Greece
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2007年8月8日
Suixuan’s Second Anniversary Selected Essays

Site Matters2007.07.31
Suixuan’s Second Anniversary Selected Essays
Suixuan Two-Year Anniversary Selected Collection Gu Chu posted on 2007-07-31 10:34:36 Suixuan Two-Year Anniversary Selected Collection Science — Pursuit of Knowledge Constellations, Easter Island, and the Predicament of Science Popularization ★A Casual Talk on Science pp ☆Putting Chaos on Display with Excel! Trusting Science and Finding a Wife ☆Similarities and Differences Between Modern Science and Classical Greek Science Philosophy — Love of Wisdom Draft Text for the Philosophy Popularization Display Board ★Preserving Commonality While Seeking Differences — A Pluralist View of Dialogue A Supplement to “Preserving Commonality While Seeking Differences” A Brief Discussion of Philosophy Popularization (Final Published Version) ☆Negative Ontology — A Review of Kant’s Ontology Religion — Hope…
philosophy history of science philosophy of science religion
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2007年7月31日
[Eng] John Cottingham: “Is Life Meaningful?”

Philosophy & Thought2007.07.20
[Eng] John Cottingham: “Is Life Meaningful?”
[英]John Cottingham: “Is Life Meaningful?”, translated by Wang Nan, Guangxi Normal University Press, May 2007, 16 yuan. This is also one of the books in the “Xingsi Essays Series, Pocket Reading” collection; it was the third book I took with me to Shanxi, but I didn’t have time to read it there, so today I casually took care of it. The theme is the meaning of life, and the author’s line of thought and point of view seem close to mine: from science to philosophy to religion. The range he covers is basically also within my own reach; it’s almost as if I wrote the article myself— which also means…
philosophy book reading notes faith
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2007年7月20日
[American] Dan Brown: Angels & Demons

Culture & Public Commentary2007.07.08
[American] Dan Brown: Angels & Demons
[U.S.]Dan Brown: Angels and Demons, translated by Zhu Zhenwu, Wang Qiaoli, and Xin Yan, People's Literature Publishing House, February 2005, 29.8 yuan—☆ The second book I read during my Shanxi period. Since I have never been very enthusiastic about bestsellers, I nearly missed The Da Vinci Code; later the movie came out, and I heard it had something to do with science and religion, so I downloaded it and watched it. It really was quite remarkable—after all, there are many good books even among bestsellers~ Although I still haven’t read the original The Da Vinci Code, after reading this Angels and Demons, I am certain that this book is even…
book reading science notes religion
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2007年7月8日
[American] Dan Brown: Angels & Demons

Culture & Public Commentary2007.07.08
[American] Dan Brown: Angels & Demons
[U.S.]Dan Brown: Angels and Demons, translated by Zhu Zhenwu, Wang Qiaoli, and Xin Yan, People's Literature Publishing House, February 2005, 29.8 yuan—☆ The second book I read during my Shanxi period. Since I have never been very enthusiastic about bestsellers, I nearly missed The Da Vinci Code; later the movie came out, and I heard it had something to do with science and religion, so I downloaded it and watched it. It really was quite remarkable—after all, there are many good books even among bestsellers~ Although I still haven’t read the original The Da Vinci Code, after reading this Angels and Demons, I am certain that this book is even…
book reading science notes religion
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2007年7月8日